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Hi, KJ--and welcome! I'm nearby in Australia. I think that you already know the answer to your question based on a few of the statements in your post: "I know that losing weight and gaining health will be far more important than how old I may look, and what people think." "I have bad health issues like asthma, high BP, and really need two knee replacements....So it's going to be so good for my health I know." "Excited for the journey for a new me and better health." Exactly right--this is all about your health. It's about getting rid of the medical conditions that come with obesity and feeling good for the first time in decades, with lots of energy and a new zest for life. Looking slimmer is a nice side effect of the surgery, but the real reason to do it is to improve your health and add years to your life. I was 59 when I got surgery and can't believe how much younger and more energetic I FEEL. I wish I had done it years earlier. Do I LOOK younger? No. The weight loss in my face and neck has aged me a bit, and I will admit that it was a little disconcerting at first, but I'm used to it. As for what people think of me and say about me: I'm sure it was much more unkind when I was fat than now when I look a little older. And frankly, I couldn't care less. I did this for me, and it was the best decision I have ever made. I can only speak for myself, but I LOVE the new me! I have so much more energy, enthusiasm, confidence and hope for the future than I did a couple of years ago as an obese person with health problems and the likelihood of a heart attack within a decade. Now that I know how great it feels to be at a healthy weight, I wouldn't ever want to go back to the old me. Don't worry about what you will eat after surgery. You will find that your tastes change and you won't crave many of the unhealthy things you enjoyed before. And you can have a glass of wine and some cheese every now and then--it's a matter of moderation. I used to love sweets and high fat foods, and I don't eat them at all any more--and I never feel deprived. We all have fears and reservations about bariatric surgery, but you almost never hear anyone expressing regrets about having it done once they see how great they feel and how much more they can enjoy life once they get to a healthy weight.

I apologize. I just looked through my paperwork, and I don't appear to have a pureed stage. I guess that might go in the "soft foods" stage for mine, because after that, I have "soft/solids". LOL Like I said, every team has a different plan.

Hi @Jen637! I had a terrible time post-op with my sense of smell. I was so sensitive to any smell and it played a huge part in my nausea and vomiting. It felt like I was being assaulted with information overload to my brain. The good news is that at 3 months after surgery it is completely back to normal. The first week was the worst, but it slowly eased up each week. I might have been back to normal by week 5 or so? But no vomiting by the end of week 1, definitely bearable by week 2-3. It was so horrible and distracting in the beginning! My sense of taste seems to be fine now, too. Good luck, and I hope this passes for you quickly!

First, congrats on your surgery & welcome. It’s not uncommon for your sense of smell to become sensitive to certain odours just like your taste changes & you become more sensitive to how certain things taste or even textures. Foods you always enjoyed may become repulsive. These first months are a big learning curve of what your tummy can tolerate & what it won’t. But it does improve. Just give it time. As Tek said listen to your body. I still have days when I’m just not hungry so I get how you feel. Like Tek, I eat to routine too - what I eat & when I eat. It’s the only way I can keep up my calories to maintain & meet my protein goals. On not hungry days I don’t quite eat as much but I make sure I get in three meals. Have you spoken to your medical team about your nausea & struggles? My nausea & occasional vomiting came from my multivitamins. I’d had this issue with them before so it wasn’t unexpected. Having too much of certain vitamins can cause the nausea so it may be worth asking your medical team about that too. There are patches you can use instead of tablets. After I reached goal, I spoke with my surgeon & gave them up & no more nausea. My bloods have come back well in the acceptable ranges in the 10 months since. Good luck.

I tend to scar as well but I have to really look to see my scars now. They’re just tiny, thin white lines. I used bio oil & gently massaged it in twice a day once the wounds were healed. I’ve used it before & it helped heaps then too.

Look up “eggface’s baked ricotta’ recipe it’s yum

I'm having this BEFORE eating, but I think a trip to your doctor should be the next step 😕 Good luck, be safe ❤️

The scars are pretty small, but I look like a pin cushion because I had my gallbladder out 6 months before my surgery. I have like 10 holes! [emoji23] I'm not too worried about it but if you are, you can try scar massage. I had a breast reduction years ago, and I used Mederma to massage my scars and they're barely noticeable. Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

Im a bad scar-er too. Always have been. My scars stay red/raised for a long time, but eventually flatten and turn *almost* back to skin colour...but this takes YEARS. I am two years post op, and my WLS scars are still brown, and one is still raised (don't even talk to me about my plastic surgery scars that are only 10 months old!) Unfortunately aside of proper wound care (keep it clean, keep it moisturized, keep it out of the sun) not much you can really do to influence the way your scars form the way they do. However, you CAN do some "scar maintenance" after the fact (i.e., steroid shots.., surgically excising them in hopes that it will heal nicer...but there are no guarantees to this). The WLS scars are very small though, so unless you suffer from serious keloid formations, they aren't so very stand-out-ish. Edited to add: just remembered something you else can do to aid in better healing: DON'T SMOKE! (at least that is what both my wls and plastic surgeon said...)

Welcome to the forums. You need to eat to plan, whether you want to or not. You are developing new, healthy habits. So, eat to plan. Second obligatory thing: Talk to your Doc. Doc may be able to help with nausea. Now is the part of the post where I share my possibly useless personal experience... When I don't eat I get nauseous. When I get nauseous, I don't want to eat. It's a downward spiral that does not end well. Solution: Eat. Smell is still a big thing for me, particularly when I am nauseous. Smells that I don't give a second thought to can get me from zero to wretching very quickly. Solution: Kill whoever is the cause of the odor. It may seem severe, but really, which is worse? Wretching or murder? Really, it's a no brainer. Your early experiences seem close to what I recall of mine. Maybe you'll get the rest of what I have. Now, when I am pondering "what will I eat?" I do a mental image of the food I want to eat. If my stomach says no (a slight lurch and nausea), then it's a no. No lurch means the meal will likely work fine. I've tried to ignore my stomach and it never ends well, so I listen. I credit this with much of my long term success, so if you are like me in this regard, listen. Now is the encouraging part of the post... Follow your plan consistently and you will succeed. It seems you are mindful of what you are doing which will serve you for years to come. Now is the signoff... Good luck, Tek